Sometimes finding motivation to get into the weight room or onto the track isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Often times, I have found myself coming into the weight room completely exhausted by the events of the day and asking myself “why I am in here when I deserve a rest?” Most of us have come across a day like that when our motivation is depleted and our will to work out has been broken. Its not easy, but we must continue to persevere even though our body is telling us no.

So how can we find that motivation again and have a productive workout that is fun and challenging? Here are 4 ways to challenge yourself and keep motivated.

Beat The Clock

When you think of beating the clock, most people think of a race. Often times people set a goal when running. Maybe reducing your two mile run from 14 minutes to 13 minutes is a goal you have this year or getting your 100-meter sprint from 12 seconds to 11 seconds is. By setting a clock for your workout, you motivate yourself to run faster and to beat your previous results. That self gratification you get when you can say you beat your previous personal best is always a special feeling and often times becomes a high. I remember the first time I ran a 5-minute mile and the jubilation I felt afterwards. From then on I kept pushing myself and if I didn’t get a 5-minute mile I would get down on myself and pick up the intensity the next workout.

In the same sense, by setting a time limit in the weight room you will find you can achieve the same results and your productivity will sky rocket. Most workouts take around an hour but imagine if you could achieve the same results in 45 minutes or even 30. By blocking out the distractions in the weight room and focusing on the tasks at hand, you will feel better at the end of your workout. Beat the clock and increase your productivity!

Rep- Total Challenges

No matter what the exercise, there’s nothing quite like being able to say you did an outrageous amount of them. Recently in my workouts, I have been pushing my body to its limits by doing crazy amounts of reps on various exercises. If I’m doing dumbbell presses, I will grab a weight that’s challenging and pound a hundred reps of them out in however many sets I need to get there.

Do this and I can guarantee you your muscles will be completely exhausted, but in the end you will have that satisfaction of telling all your friends about your achievement. While I wouldn’t recommend this every workout, sometimes its good to shock your muscles and change your routine up a bit. By getting out of your comfort zone, you will realize what you are truly capable of and the next morning you can definitely expect your muscles to be sore. While you don’t have to do 100 of a specific exercise try something you aren’t used to and push your body to its limits. The satisfaction you will feel afterwards is out of this world!

10 sets of 10

In the old days, bodybuilders used the conventional 10 by 10 in their workouts to sculpt their bodies the way they wanted. Let’s bring that back and pick up a weight that isn’t too hard but at the same time isn’t light. Use this weight for all 10 sets and take only 1 minute breaks between sets. This will be challenging, but will give you a goal to strive for. By splitting up 100 reps in increments, it will trick your brain into thinking it isn’t doing as many as it actually is. When you are on that 5th set just tell yourself you only have 5 more left even though in reality you have 50. This strategy has proven to work for many people so go ahead and give it a try, and you will be amazed at what you can do.

Set an Unexpected PR

Setting PR’s can become addicting and often times leaves us with a high. There’s nothing quite like being able to say we accomplished our goals and are getting better. If we aren’t improving why would we invest so much time into it? Sometimes I will find myself scheduled to do a leg workout but if my upper body is feeling better then I will jump on bench and do that. This has led to many of my personal bests and keeps me motivated to keep working hard. Listen to your body and if the time is right, go for a PR. Reward yourself for all your hard work and this will keep you motivated to keep progressing.

Finding the motivation to do something isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to getting into the weight room. If you do these 4 things, you can expect to stay challenged and keep your motivation at an all time high. Keep pushing yourself and you will do great things!

Cheers,

Sam

Make sure to comment below and let us know how you keep yourself motivated!